Market figures in Iran show the prices of the US dollar and gold – two key drivers of consumer prices - have been declining over the past week in what is seen as a clear defiance against earlier predictions that sanctions could trigger a price shock in the country.

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei , the Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, has ordered top officials to take “decisive decisions” to handle key challenges facing the country’s economy, including a plunge in the value of national currency.

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati says Tehran and Moscow are seeking to carry out transactions using their national currencies, gradually ditching dollar and other currencies in their trade relations.

A senior Iranian official says the number of tourists who visited Iran in the first six months of the current Iranian year (started March 21) rose by 51 percent compared to the same period in the past year, and that cheap prices is expected to lure more tourists.

Lorry drivers in Iran have staged temporary strikes during the recent months, calling on the authorities to increase their wages and control the tyre market, which has put the drivers under great pressure.